Dispensing apparatus



March 18, 1958 c. P. TAYLQR DISPENSING APPARATUS 'Filed Jan. 22, 1953 INVENTOR.

CHARL ES P. TAYLOR United States Patent DISPENSING APPARATUS Charles P. Taylor, Belleville, 111., assignor to Ideal Stencil Machine (Jompany, Belleville, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 22, 1953, Serial No. 332,649

16 Claims. (Cl. 2712.6)

This invention relates to improvements in dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to improvements in a dispenser adapted to deliver strip material from a supply thereof.

A major objective of the present improvements is the provision of means for directing and guiding a strip of material along a normal predetermined path of travel through and from strip dispensing apparatus, the improved means serving to restore the strip to its normal path of movement incident to any displacement therefrom.

Further important objects and advantages are realized in providing a delivery wheel and a cooperating wheel which are adapted to receive and engage a strip of material therebetween, the cooperating wheel being so arranged as to be movable from its normal plane of rotation upon displacement of the strip, together with springactuated means connected to the cooperating wheel and adapted to return the wheel to its normal plane of rotation, and therethrough, acting to restore the strip to its normal predetermined path of travel.

Still furt er important objects are realized in the provision of a strip-guiding element considerably spaced from the delivery wheel and cooperating pressure wheel, and which element determines the normal path of travel of the strip between the wheels and under the cut-oil mechanism; a further object being an improved structural arrangement of the strip-guiding element per se, which cooperates with the aforesaid movable pressure wheel and spring-actuated strip-restoring means to return the strip to its normal path upon displacement therefrom.

Another objective feature of the present dispenser improvements includes an adjustable pulley assembly permitting separate adjustment and relocation of the several pulley sections axially on a shaft, thus affording a variable width pulley adapted to receive and to align strips of material of diiferent widths in a predetermined path of travel.

The foregoing and numerous other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, particularly when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of a dispenser embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a front portion of the dispenser, as taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig, 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in cross section as taken along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view as taken along the longitudinal axis of Fig. 2, showing the pressure Wheel in inoperative position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view in a vertical plane, as taken along line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in transverse section as taken along line 6-6 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view partly in section, as seen along line 77 of Fig. 1.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, and first to Fig. 1, it will be noted that the dispensing device includes a lower housing section 10, and an upper cover section 11 hingedly connected to the upper rearmost portion of section 10.

A material-delivery element, strip-feed or delivery wheel 12 is mounted on drive shaft 13 located transversely of section 10. Although not shown by the drawing, the delivery wheel 12 may be manually actuated, or may be connected to and adapted to be rotated by a power unit such as an electric motor. Disposed immediately above the delivery wheel 12 is a lower platen or bed plate 14, over which a strip of material such as gummed tape T, is slidably movable. Wheel 12 operatively engages the tape strip through an aperture 15 formed in the lower platen 14.

A pair of rollers 16 are rotatably supported on axis elements arranged transversely of housing section 10, and are adapted rotatively to position a supply of strip material represented by a roll 17 of the tape. Guide plates 18 are placed adjacent each side of the supply roll 17, and serve to position and align roll 17 in the housing section 10. Each guide plate 18 is provided with endwise projecting flanges 29 received by slots 21 formed in section 10, and by slots 22 of vertical Wall 23. Slots 21 and 22 are regularly spaced, and are adapted to locate guide plates 18 in close adjacent relation to the tape roll 17, with the spacing of the plates varied in accordance with the width of the roll being currently used.

Overlying lower platen 14 is a detachable upper platen 24 disposed adjacent to and rearwardly of cutting blade 25. Four indentations 26 are formed in platen 24, one at each approximate corner region (Figs. 2 and 3), which vertically space platen 24 from platen 14 a distance so as adequately to accommodate and receive the strip of tape therebetween, and to permit slidable longitudinal movement with only a slight degree of frictional resistance.

A series of four screws 27 are threadedly received by lower platen 14, and are adapted to extend upwardly so that the heads thereof abut and engage the upper surface of platen 24. Each screw 27 is received in an aperture 28 provided in each corner region of platen 24, the apertures 28 opening from the lateral margins. Further, each aperture 28 includes a relatively large forward slot of a size to slip easily over the head of screw 27, thus allowing for ready assembly and disassembly of platen 24. Each aperture 28 also includes a smaller connecting slot which closely receives the shank of the cooperating screw 27, and which accurately determines the location of platen 24 with respect to cutting blade 25.

It is preferable that delivery wheel 12 be located medially depthwise of section 10, and that platen 24 be arranged symmetrically to the plane of rotation of wheel 12, this being taken as the normal midplane of rotation of wheel 12 defining a longitudinal axis.

A U-shaped bracket 30 is pivotally connected to platen 24 by a pin 31 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) along the longitudinal axis defined by the plane of rotation of wheel 12, and rearwardly of shaft 13. Received in journalled relation by the spaced upstanding tabs of bracket 30, is a transverse pivot shaft 32, which pivotally connects one end portion of each of the connecting rocker arms 33, the arms 33 being positioned on shaft 32 adjacent bracket 30 by cotter pins 34 (Fig. 5). Arms 33 are of substantially an L-shaped configuration, and constitute a connection to a cooperating or pressure wheel 35. This companion wheel 35 is rotatively supported by and connected between arms 33 at substantially the apex portion of angular rocker arms 33, by bolt 36 and nut 37, as best shown by Fig. 2, the arms .33 and bracket 39 constituting a frame which supports wheel 35.

Pressure wheel 35 is normally so located by rocker arrns'33 as to extend'through an aperture 38 provided in platen 24 in register with aperture of platen 14, and hence will operatively engage the strip of material immediatelyabove the region of strip engagement by delivery wheel 12. It will be noted that pressure wheel '35 and delivery wheel 12 normally'rotate in the same plane of rotation, and coact'to deliver the strip of tape under blade'25 along a path of travel represented by the longitudinal mid-plane of the machine. It is greatly preferred that the'pressure wheel be provided with rather prominent transverse ribs, the wheel '12, being by preferen'ce similarly ribbed. It has been observed that the tape-straightening action of the pressure wheel 35 is materially improved by this rib formation. a

The opposite portions of rocker arms 33 extend upwardly, and are provided with hook formations 48 each adapted to serve as an anchorage for one end of one of a pair of tension springs '41. The opposite ends of the springs 4i are anchored to platen 24 by small right angular ears 42 located on opposite sides or the longitudinal axis outwardly of the upper anchorage at 40, as viewed in Fig. 2.

Obviously, springs 41 exert a downward force on arms 33, and tend to rotate arms 33 about the pivot axis formed by shaft 32, thereby maintaining a substantially constant downward pressure on wheel 35 against delivery wheel 12 and the intervening tape or strip, hence assuring operative engagement between the strip and both of the companion wheels. Furthermore'since springs 41 and their connections, which constitute a spring-actuated means, are arranged so that the two springs subtend equal angles to the longitudinal axis, and since the springs are of substantially the same loading characteristics, there are exerted on arms 33 and hence against wheel 35, divergent forces. the resultant of which tends to retain Wheel 35 in the longitudinal axis or in other words in the normal nplane of rotation.

Springs 41 will cooperate to perform the above described restoring function whenever the tape strip is for any reason caused to deviate or diverge from its normal predetermined path of movement between wheels 12 and 35. For instance, as the strip is displaced, wheel 35 is moved in an arcuate lateral path by pivoted arms 33 about pin 31 as a center, out of the longitudinal axis and normal plane of rotation. There is then an unbalanced condition between springs 41 because of the divergent structural arrangement, and the resultant force created under these conditions serves to restore the pressure or cooperating wheel 35 to its normal plane of rotation, and simultaneously serves to return the tape strip operatively engaged by wheel 35 to its normal path of travel. 7

When wheel 35 is urged downwardly into operative engagement with the tape strip as shown by Figs. 1 and 2, the platen 24 is securely locked into position. It is desirable for various reasons to be able easily to remove platen 24 and release the tape strip, as, for example, incident to the insertion of a new strip and the initial alignment thereof between the wheels. In that event,a U-

shaped cam arm'43 pivoted on bolt 36 is. raised to the upright positionshown by Fig. 4. The lowermost furcated ends of cam arm 43 are provided with straight margins which seat on the upper surface of platen 24 adjacent aperture 38, andwhich are located at a'distance from the pivot axis defined by bolt 36 so thatcooperating wheel 35 and hence rocker arms 33 are moved upwardly and vertically about pivot shaft 32. In the posit1on shown byvFig. 4, wheel 35 is freed from operative engagement with the tape strip, and is releasably held in the raised position by 'camarm 43 against the'loading of springs 41.

Located rearwardly of and in considerably spaced relation to wheels 12 and 35 is a tape-guiding means consisting of a pulley assembly which predetermines the path of movement of the strip toward the wheels and under the cutting blade 25.- A shaft 44 is disposed transversely of section iii, and serves to support a rotatable member or pulley 45 along and symmetrical to the longitudinal axis. Side flanges 46 (Figs. 1 and 6) provided on pulley 45 abut'the tape strip edgewise, and serve to coact with the movable wheel 35 to retain the strip in the path of movement as determined by the flanges 46, the path being shown as along and symmetrical to the longitudinal axis.

An adjustable-width pulley arrangement is provided to adapt the dispenser for'the use of tape or strips of different widths. From Fig. 6 it is seen that pulley 45 consists of three separable sections 47, 43 and 50, each section being revolvable about shaft 44. Provided in regularly'spaced relation along shaft'44 is a seriesof peripheral indents or grooves 51. The intermediate section 48 is located along the longtiudinal axis, and fixed to shaft 44 by screw element 52 which slidably engages and operates in groove 51, thus'permitting section 48 to rotate freely. The'two outside sections 47 and 50 are also rotatively carried by shaft 44, and are adapted to be selectively located at particular points along shaft 44 to accommodate the spacing of flanges 46 for the width 7 of tape being used. 7

Each section 47 and 5% is provided with a socket serving as a retainer for a ball 53 and spring 54 which constitutes a depressible element adapted to hold the section in the selected position. A small screw element 55is threadedly received by and encloses each socket, and is threadedly adjustable to retain the ball 53 in a selected groove against the loading of spring54.

roll of tape is disposed on rollers 16 and between guide,

plates 18. The tape strip is extended upwardly over pulley 45, arranged over bed plate 14 along the longitudinal axis, and thence extended under the-cutting blade 25. With pressure wheel 35 in a raisedposition as 7 shown in Fig. 4, the platen 24 is disposed on platen 14 so as to overlie the tape strip, and further located as de-. termined by the receptionof screws 27 in apertures 28. g

The cam arm 43 is lowered (Figs. 1 and 2), whereupon wheel 35 operatively engages the strip and secures platen 24 in position.

if, for any reason, the strip overlying platen 14 is laterally displaced or otherwise moved from the normal predetermined path of travel, cooperating Wheel 35 will he laterally shifted in an arcuate path with the'strip. Consequently, a resultant unbaianced loading of springs 41 is created, and the action of springs tends to re store wheel 35 to the longitudinal axis, and henceacts to return the strip to the normal path of movement. addition to determining the'path of travel, the edgewise abutment of flanges 46 with the tape strip assists the restoring action of springs 41 return the displaced portion of the strip to its normal path. It is a valuable feature of the straightening action of roll 35, that the slight indenting eifect realized by the milled ribs on the surface of roller 35, sufficiently depresses the tape so as to exert a positive straightening effect thereon. This effect is still further enhanced, as the tape approaches its normal path of travel, by the interfitting relation of the rib-bed formations on roll 35, with those on the wheel or roll i2, assuming the latter to be provided with transverse ribbing.

As the tape moves under blade 25, assuming it is AXially slidable movement'of sections 47 and 50 automatically with- S coated with an adhesive requiring moistening, the strip engages brush 56 disposed in a reservoir 57, thus moistening the delivered strip portion. A weighted element 58 is adapted to urge the strip against moistening brush 56 as the strip is dispensed.

Although the improvements have been described by making particularized reference to a single preferred embodiment, the detail of description is not to be understood as restrictive, numerous variants being possible Within the principles disclosed within the fair scope of the claims hereunto appended.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device for dispensing a length of material from a supply thereof, a rotatable delivery element, a cooperating member disposed adjacent to and spaced from the delivery element, said cooperating member being normally rotatable in the plane of rotation of said delivery element, said delivery element and cooperating member being adapted to receive and operatively to engage a strip of material located therebetween, means connected to said cooperating member and pivoted for laterally moving said member from the normal plane of rotation upon lateral displacement of the material from a normal path of movement, and restoring means operatively connected to said cooperating member for returning the cooperating member to a normal plane of rotation when displaced therefrom, the cooperating member engaging the material to restore the material to the normal path of movernent in response to said restoring means.

2. In a device for delivering strip material, a rotatable delivery wheel, the plane of rotation of which defines a longitudinal axis and path of strip delivery, a cooperating wheel located adjacent to and spaced from the delivery wheel, said wheels being adapted to receive and engage a strip of material therebetween, said cooperating Wheel being normally rotatable in the plane including the longitudinal axis, pivotally mounted means connected to said cooperating wheel and swingable or laterally moving said cooperating wheel from the longitudinal axis responsively to lateral displacement of t e strip from a normal path or" movement, and spring-actuating means connected to the cooperating wheel for restoring the said cooperating wheel to rotation in the longitudinal axis, the cooperating wheel engaging the strip to restore the strip to the normal path of movement in response to said spring-actuating means.

3. In a dispenser for delivering strip material, a rotatable delivery Wheel, the plane of rotation of said delivery wheel constituting a longitudinal axis, a cooperating wheel disposed in peripheral adjacence to said delivery wheel to receive and engage operatively a strip of material therebetween, said cooperating wheel being normally rotatable in the longitudinal axis, an arm connected to said cooperating wheel and pivoted along the longitudinal axis for laterally moving said cooperating wheel from said longitudinal axis upon lateral displacement of the strip from a normal path of movement, and spring-actuated means arranged on each side of said longitudinal axis and connected to said cooperating wheel, said spring-actuated means being adapted to restore the cooperating wheel, and therethrough the strip, to the longitudinal axis, upon divergence of the strip from such axis.

4. In a dispensing apparatus for delivering strip material, a rotatable delivery wheel, a cooperating Wheel arranged adjacent to and spaced from the delivery Wheel, said wheels being arranged in peripherally adjacent relation to receive and engage a strip of material, the cooperating wheel being normally rotatable in the plane of rotation of said delivery wheel, means connected to the cooperating wheel and pivoted for laterally moving said cooperating wheel from a normal plane of rotation upon lateral displacement of the strip from a normal path of strip movement, and a spring element operatively connected to said cooperating wheel and arranged to be increasingly stressed upon increasing deviation from the normal plane of rotation of said cooperating wheel, said spring element being thus adapted to restore the cooperating wheel to its normal plane of rotation, and acting through the cooperating wheel to return the strip to the normal path of movement.

5. In a device for dispensing strip material, a rotatable delivery wheel, a cooperating pressure wheel arranged in peripheral adjacence to said delivery wheel, and adapted to receive and engage a strip of material between the wheels, said wheels being normally rotatable in the same plane of rotation, an arm connected to the pressure wheel and pivotally arranged along a longitudinal axis determined by the plane of rotation of said delivery wheel for laterally moving said pressure wheel incident to lateral displacement of the strip from a normal path of movement, and a spring operatively connected to each side of the cooperating wheel and arranged on each side of the longitudinal axis so as to exert a force on the cooperating wheel divergent to the longitudinal axis, said springs being adapted to restore the cooperating wheel to the normal plane of rotation, and acting through the cooperating wheel to return the strip to the normal path of movement.

6. In an apparatus for dispensing strip material, a rotatable delivery wheel, a pressure wheel arranged in peripheral relation to the delivery wheel to receive and engage a strip of material therebetween, said wheels being normally rotatable in the same plane of rotation, means so connected to said pressure wheel and pivoted for laterally moving the pressure wheel from its normal plane of rotation upon lateral displacement of the strip from a normal path of movement, and spring-actuated means operatively connected to the pressure Wheel for maintaining same in operative engagement with the strip, and for restoring the pressure Wheel to the normal plane of rotation, and acting through the pressure wheel to return the strip to its normal path of movement.

7. In a dispenser for delivering strip material, a rotatable delivery wheel, a pressure Wheel located adjacent to the delivery wheel, said wheels being normally rotatable in a common plane of rotation defining a longitudinal axis, and being adapted to receive and engage a strip of material therebetween, an arm connected to said pressure wheel and pivoted along the said axis for laterally displacing said pressure wheel from said axis responsively to lateral displacement of the strip from a normal path of movement, said arm being further pivoted about a horizontal axis for vertically displacing said pressure wheel, and a spring device connected to the pressure wheel and arranged to stress the pressure wheel along lines laterally of the longitudinal axis so as to exert a restoring force divergent to said longitudinal axis, thereby tendingto center the pressure wheel in its normal plane of rotation, the spring device acting through the pressure wheel to center the strip in its normal path of movement.

8. In an apparatus for delivering strip material, a rotatable delivery wheel, a material-straightening device comprised of a platen, a pressure wheel arranged adjacent the delivery wheel so as to receive and engage a strip of material between the wheels, said wheels being normally rotatable in the same plane and having their axes arranged normally in parallel relation, an arm connected to said pressure wheel, said arm being pivoted to said platen about an axis spaced from said pressure wheel axis for shifting the axis of said pressure wheel laterally across the normal path of strip movement upon lateral displacement of said strip from a normal path of movement, said arm being further pivoted about a horizontal axis for vertically moving the pressure wheel to and from said delivery wheel, spring-actuated means connected to said arm and to said platen for restoring the pressure wheel to its normal plane of rotation and acting through the pressure wheel to return the strip to its normal path of movement, saidspring-actuated means-being adapted movement of the pressure wheel to a raised, inoperative the longitudinal axis upon lateral displacement of the strip from a normal path of movement, spring-actuated means operatively connected to the cooperating wheel for restoring the said cooperating wheel to its normal plane of rotation and acting through the cooperating wheel to returnthe strip to its normal path of movement, and a rotatable member spaced from said wheels, said rotatable member being provided with flanges adapted to receive the strip therebetween, and to determine the normal path of movement .of said strip between said Wheels. I

10. In a dispenser for delivering strip material, a rotatable delivery wheel, a cooperating wheel arranged adjacent to and normally spaced from the delivery wheel so as to receive and engage a strip of material therebetween, said wheels being normally rotatable in the same plane, said plane defining a longitudinal material-delivery axis, an arm connected to the cooperating wheel and pivoted along the longitudinal axis for laterally moving said cooperating wheel to either side of said longitudinal axis upon lateral displacement of the strip from a normal path of movement, spring-actuated means operatively connected to thecooperating wheel, said means acting to restore the cooperating wheel to its normal plane of rotation along the longitudinal axis responsively to deviation therefrom, and acting through the cooperating wheel to return the strip to the normal path of movement, and avpulley disposed along the longitudinal axis in considerably spaced relation to said wheels, the pulley being provided with side flanges in marginally guiding relation t -the strip, whereby to establish the normal path of movement of the strip along said longitudinal axis and between said wheels, the pulley being located to cooperate with the spring-actuated means for restoration of the strip to its normal path incident to displacement of the strip.

11. The combination and arrangement of elements as recited by claim 10, but further characterized in that the spring-actuated means consists of a pair of springs connected to said cooperating Wheel and arranged at divergentangles to the longitudinal axis, whereby to exert divergent forces which tend to retain the cooperating wheelin the longitudinal axis, and to constrain the strip to movement in the normal path of strip travel as determined by said pulley and flanges.

12. Ina. strip-delivery mechanism, a rotatable stripfeed wheelpa pressure wheel, means for directing the strip between said wheels for operative engagement, a frame supporting one of. said wheels, means for pivotally positioning said frame for laterally moving the frame and the wheelcarried thereby across the normal path of strip movement as-thestrip is laterally displaced from:

the normal path, and spring means acting on said frame and tending to maintain the wheel on the frame in its normalplane ofrotation and serving to move such wheel about said pivot means so as to restore the strip to itsnormal path of movement.

13. In a strip-delivery mechanism, a rotatable stripfeed wheel, a pressure wheel, means for, directing the.

strip between said wheels, a frame supporting one of said wheels, means for pivotally positioning said frame for moving the frame and the wheel carried thereby both in a direction laterally across the normal path of strip movement and in a direction depthwise of the strip, and spring'rneans acting on said frame and tending to maintain a normal centered relation thereof to the strip in each said direction.

l4. in a strip-delivery mechanism, a rotatable .stripfeed wheel, a pressure wheel, means for directing the strip between said wheels, a frame supporting one of said wheels, means for pivotally positioning said'frame for laterally moving the frame and the wheel carried thereby across the normal path of strip movement about.

line normal to the direction of travelofthe strip, and spring means acting on said frame and tending to maintain a normal centered relation thereof'to the strip.

15. In a strip-delivery mechanism, a rotatable strip feed wheel, a pressure wheel, means for directing the strip between said wheels, a frame supporting one of said wheels, means for pivotally positioningsaid frame for moving the frame and the wheel carried thereby both-in a direction laterally across the normal path of strip movement and in a direction depthwise of the strip, and tension springs located in divergent relation both laterally and depthwise of the line of strip travel, said springs acting on said frame and tending to maintain a normal centered relation thereof to the strip in each said direction.

16. In a strip-delivery mechanism, a rotatable strip-feed wheel, a pressure wheel, means for directing the strip between said wheels, a frame supporting one of said wheels, means for pivotally positioning said frame for moving the frame and the wheel carried thereby both in a direction laterally across the normal path of strip movement and in a direction depthwise of the strip, and tension springs connected to said frame and located in divergentrelation both laterally and depthwise of the line of strip travel, said springs being adapted to center the frame and the wheel carried thereby laterally relative to the normal path of strip movement, and being adapted to urge the wheel carried by said frame depthwise into operative engagement with the strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 163,207 (ellberg May 11, 1875 432,993 Ensign July 29, 1890 835,546 Moore Novi 13, 1906v 2,012,130 Kellogg Aug. 20, 1935 2,210,925 Hill Aug. 13, 1940 2,262,638 Ferm Nov. 11, 1941 2,286,152 Miller June 9, 1942 2,451,833 Koch Oct. 19, 1948 7,473,599 Liebel June 21, 1949 2,660,380 Blackman et al. Nov. 24, 1953 

